Lake Wildwood is a census-designated place (CDP) in Nevada County, California, United States. The population was 5,158 at the 2020 census, up from 4,991 at the 2010 census.

Lake Wildwood is mainly a gated community and news about the CDP is published in a twice a month newspaper, The Wildwood Independent. Local businesses and residences are listed in the annual "Penn Valley Area Directory" published by "Pine Tree Press".

History

Lake Wildwood was laid out by property developers in the 1960s.

In September 1988, the 49er Fire was accidentally started by a homeless and schizophrenic local man near Highway 49. The fire went on to burn well over a hundred homes and more than 33,000 acres in Nevada County, including many homes in the Lake Wildwood area.

Geography

Lake Wildwood is located at (39.234885, -121.203026).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and (12.89%) is water.

Demographics

Lake Wildwood first appeared as a census designated place in the 2000 U.S. census. The census reported that 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas and 100.0% lived in rural areas.

The age distribution was 14.9% under the age of 18, 4.5% aged 18 to 24, 15.3% aged 25 to 44, 23.0% aged 45 to 64, and 42.4% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 60.5years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 4,426 || 85.8%

|-

| Black or African American || 32 || 0.6%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 26 || 0.5%

|-

| Asian || 88 || 1.7%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 6 || 0.1%

|-

| Some other race || 104 || 2.0%

|-

| Two or more races || 476 || 9.2%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 455 || 8.8%

|}

Income and poverty

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $87,552, and the per capita income was $42,709. About 6.3% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census reported that Lake Wildwood had a population of 4,991. The population density was . The racial makeup of Lake Wildwood was 4,726 (94.7%) White, 17 (0.3%) African American, 46 (0.9%) Native American, 56 (1.1%) Asian, 10 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 32 (0.6%) from other races, and 104 (2.1%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 272 persons (5.4%).

The Census reported that 4,988 people (99.9% of the population) lived in households, 3 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 2,225 households, out of which 462 (20.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 1,463 (65.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 125 (5.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 57 (2.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 64 (2.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 15 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 496 households (22.3%) were made up of individuals, and 334 (15.0%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24. There were 1,645 families (73.9% of all households); the average family size was 2.58.

The population was spread out, with 843 people (16.9%) under the age of 18, 204 people (4.1%) aged 18 to 24, 689 people (13.8%) aged 25 to 44, 1,412 people (28.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,843 people (36.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 58.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males.

There were 2,641 housing units at an average density of , of which 1,856 (83.4%) were owner-occupied, and 369 (16.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.8%. 3,937 people (78.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,051 people (21.1%) lived in rental housing units.

Politics

In the state legislature Lake Wildwood is located in , and .

Federally, Lake Wildwood is in .

Lake Wildwood is represented on the Nevada County Board of Supervisors by Republican Susan Hoek, a fifth-generation Nevada County resident who works on her family ranch.

Education

It is in the Penn Valley Union Elementary School District<!--ELM 01427--> and the Nevada Joint Union High School District<!--SEC 26880-->.

References

  • Official website